Being a journalist is not quite like any normal job around where 90 per cent of time is spent in the office.

I have read stories and watched movies about the hardships journalists went through to get a story and the challenges they faced in uncomfortable situations yet they pushed on.

That is exactly what happened to me when I made the journey to the interior of Namosi to attend a wedding ceremony between former Melbourne Storm winger Marika Koroibete and his beautiful wife Emma Whippy.

When I heard about the wedding being held in Namosi, in particular Naraiyawa Village, I did not realise the extent of which I had to travel in order to get to this beautiful village.

Turning into the gravel road from Nabukavesi and starting the journey, it just looked like any normal dirt road that I have seen in the past from travelling to my aunt’s place in Kuku, Bau, Tailevu

But as we went on, the road became narrow with so much gravel and huge rocks and tight corners and I thought we would crash into another if another vehicle came around the corner.

It was no straight road, we drove up and went down steep hills and I remember praying the whole time in my head and hoping we would reach the village safely.

We crossed so many small bridges with fresh water streams and nothing but bush and forest everywhere.

After what seemed like hours of driving, we finally reached Narukunibua which was the first village, only then was I informed that we needed to drive past seven more villages until we reached Naraiyawa which was the last village in Namosi.

It felt like we were alone in the middle of nowhere until we came close to villages and locals doing their daily chores as they waved with big smiles on their faces yelling “Bula”.

When we reached the Namosi Eco Tourism Park located in Navunikabe, every village after that was by a beautiful river with fresh water flowing continuously. It was so humid that I wanted to tell the driver to stop so I could have a swim.

There were times when the car would go over huge rocks and deep potholes that I thought we would get stuck any minute but lucky our driver Faiaz was able to manoeuvre past them.

We drove past open valleys where horses and  cows ran freely and mountains that disappeared in the clouds.

It took more than two hours to finally reach the village and we got there just in time to catch the tail end of the wedding ceremony.

Naraiyawa is considered the most beautiful village in Namosi. The village is situated by the river and at the base of a mountain which stands as boarder between Namosi and Naitasiri.

Though the journey was long and terrifying, it was well worth the experience because as someone who has only grown up and been around the urban areas, the trip opened my eyes and gave me a glimpse into the interior of Fiji and just how beautiful our country really is.

Had it not been for the wedding and my job as a journalist to push to get stories, I don’t think I would have never had the opportunity to witness a beautiful traditional wedding for the first time and see the beautiful wonders of nature Namosi holds.

Edited by Osea Bola

Feedback:  justine.mannan@fijisun.com.fj